We'll Always Have Arcturus
by sevanderslice
Summary: Kaidan has a few hours shore leave and meets and beautiful, yet mysterious woman. Shenko. Pre-Mass Effect, AU.


_A little AU fic I wrote for mrsalenko on tumblr. Enjoy._

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This part of Arcturus station was pretty slow this time of the night cycle; after the dinner crowd, but before the few bars in the area really got going. Captain Anderson had granted a short shore leave to most of the crew while they refueled and picked up that new commander everyone had been buzzing about. Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko had decided to take advantage of his few hours off and strolled down the long, quiet street, scanning the store fronts and looking for something appealing. A bar was probably a bad idea, seeing as how he had to be back on duty at Oh-five hundred. There was a diner on the corner, but he'd eaten there the last time he'd been on the station and their tuna melt special had nearly dissolved the lining of his intestines. The four hours he'd spent in the medbay later that evening had been less than ideal.

Shuddering internally, Kaidan walked to the corner and read next few signs. A trendy little coffee shop sat nestled between a dry cleaner and an exotic fruit stand, the holographic mug on its roof puffing little clouds of steam into the artificial atmo. Too much caffeine could be just as debilitating to Kaidan as too much alcohol, as it was likely to induce a migraine, but he was sure they had decaf and the little message board on the sidewalk promised chocolate raspberry cheesecake. His stomach let out a little rumble as he opened the door and stepped inside.

The atmosphere was a little different than he'd been expecting. There wasn't much of a crowd, which was a plus, and the black and white checkered tiles gave the place a bit of an old Earth feeling, which was kind of nice, but Kaidan hadn't planned on the stage in the back, and certainly not on a hanar poet, nor the young asari accompanying him on a couple of bongo drums.

"This one does not know the meaning of life," the pink, tentacled performer recited, prompting a short, rolling beat from his pretty blue friend. "Stay a while, and this one will tell you what it does know."

That was essentially Kaidan's cue to leave, right there. He spun on his heel, intending to reach for the door handle, when a lovely, contralto voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Leaving so soon, Soldier?" She asked, obviously referencing the duty uniform he still wore. " I hear he hasn't even hit his stride yet. "

Cocking his head to the side, Kaidan sought out the source of the pretty voice and felt like someone had just sucker punched him in the gut. Staring back at him, just above a lightly freckled nose and an impish smile, was the most gorgeous pair of green eyes he had ever seen.

"Have a seat," the woman offered, gesturing towards one of the three unoccupied chairs at her small table. "I'll buy you a cup of coffee. That is, if you're up to braving tonight's entertainment."

Unable to do otherwise, Kaidan slid into the ridiculously high chair and rested his feet on the bar about six inches off the floor. "I think I'll take you up on that ma'am," he agreed, "although, decaf for me please."

"Ooh," she teased, gesturing towards a waiter. "I like a man who lives on the edge."

Kaidan's face grew a bit warm. "Yeah," he chuckled, absently rubbing the back of his neck. "That's me; always walking on the wild side."

She laughed at his stupid joke and _god_, the sound was like music. It went straight to his groin, the pressure making him need to shift in his seat a bit. Fortunately, his drink arrived just then, providing a much needed distraction. He ordered a couple pieces of that raspberry cheesecake, before carefully taking the hot mug in hand and raising it to his lips. He blew gently across the top, all the while keeping his eyes glued to this mysterious woman. She was dressed in comfortable looking civilian clothes; dark washed jeans and a flowing, purple tunic that was cut just low enough to show a hint of cleavage. Her light ginger hair was cut chin length and tucked behind her ear on one side. She pushed an errant strand back with its comrades and boldly met his gaze, obviously aware of Kaidan's perusal.

"You like what you see?" she asked, the silky tone to her voice adding to the lieutenant's growing problem.

"I think that's pretty obvious," he pointed out, his cheeks warming a bit more. "You know you're beautiful. I'm sure people tell you all the time."

It was her turn to blush this time, the result absolute adorable. "Actually no," she admitted, showing a bit of vulnerability for the first time since Kaidan walked in.

"I can't imagine why? Did I miss an announcement or something? Is the whole galaxy suddenly blind?"

Her answer was a tight smile and to tuck the rest of her hair up over the other ear. The action revealed a faint, raised scar cutting across her left cheekbone and reaching halfway down to her jaw. Kaidan frowned; now that he could see the damage, he noticed two other small scars in the same diagonal line - one across the bridge of her nose and the other splitting her right eyebrow in half. Whatever had happened, she was lucky she hadn't lost an eye - or if she had, the doctors had done an excellent job at cloning her a new one.

Rather than detracting from her beauty however, Kaidan thought it made her that much more compelling. The initial injury must have been brutal to have left such a mark, especially with today's medical technology. This strongly suggested the woman before him was made of stronger stuff than most. Even so, the very thought of anything hurting her made Kaidan's protective instincts rise to the surface. How had she become so important to him so quickly?

"I still don't see it," he answered honestly, giving her a soft smile. "If I had more than a few hours left to be on this station, I'd definitely be asking for your number."

She grinned too and the fire was back in her eyes, all traces of vulnerability gone.

"Alright, Soldier," she began, "I have to ask. If you've only got a few hours left of shore leave, why are you spending it in a tiny coffee shop, listening to hanar poetry?

"Well, I was intending to leave, but a certainly beautiful woman distracted me. And now I couldn't go even if I wanted to."

"And why is that?" she asked, leaning in just a bit.

"I haven't got my cheesecake yet." He answered, making her smile. "How about you? You have a sudden yen to hear 'This one believes grass was made for running barefoot, but alas, hanar have no feet.'"

Her laugh then was less music and more a snorting choke. She quickly pushed her napkin against her mouth to prevent coffee from spraying across the table. "Oh man," she gasped a moment later. "I haven't laughed that hard in a long time. Thanks for that. And actually, yes, I did come here specifically for the hanar poetry. You don't see many aliens on Arcturus and I was curious."

"Was it worth the trip?" He asked, lowering his voice and hoping she knew he meant more than the beret wearing jellyfish.

"Yeah," she breathed, hotly meeting his gaze, "It was."

They spoke for over two hours, discussing everything from hobbies, to sports teams, to their favorite movies. Kaidan couldn't believe how easy she was to talk to. They went through two pots of decaf, four bathroom breaks, and a whole cheesecake. She asked about his eating habits, noting the decaffeinated coffee and that she'd only eaten one slice of a dessert ten inches in diameter. Kaidan admitted to his biotics then, somewhat reluctantly, but she'd taken the information in stride, without any visible discomfort, and asked him a few questions about it. This of course, prompted them each to tell their early life stories; Kaidan had been raised on Earth, she was a colony kid.

"So how'd you end up here," he finally asked, slipping the last bite of raspberry cream cheese onto his fork.

"I told you," she answered. "I saw the ad for hanar poetry and was too curious to resist."

"I know that part," he chuckled, "but I mean, how did a colony kid end up on Arcturus? Was it for work?"

Instead of answering, she pulled up her omnitool and held it out for him to see. "Look at the that," she sighed. "It's past time for me to go. I didn't want the night to end and stayed out longer than I'd planned, but the show is over and I'm about to turn into a pumpkin. Will you walk me to the door?"

"Of course," he agreed, sliding out of his seat. She was right; the stage was empty and they were the only two patrons left. He'd been so engrossed in their conversation, in _her_, he hadn't even noticed.

Being aboard a space station, the temperature outside was exactly the same as it had been in the little café. Kaidan wished it weren't. He wanted an excuse to wrap his arms around her, to keep her in his presence for just a few moments more.

"Which way are you going?" he asked, looking up and down the street. Hopefully he could walk her home.

She gestured behind him, "that way," she answered and Kaidan frowned, disheartened.

"I'm over there," he admitted, looking in the opposite direction. "I guess this is it. I don't even know your name."

"No you don't," she agreed, her pink lips stretching into a soft smile.

"Will you share it with me?" he asked holding out a hand to shake hers. "I'll start if you want, just to break the ice. Hi, my name is…"

Kaidan's words cut off the instant her fingertips covered his lips. He stared down at her in confusion, wishing he could stretch his tongue out to lick her skin and noting absently that her fingers were slightly calloused.

"No names" she insisted. "You'll just ask for my number next and I'll have to say no. You see, we're both leaving in the morning and I can't have anyone missing me when I go. So, let's just keep tonight a lovely memory, with no regrets."

The second she released him, Kaidan opened his mouth to argue. They had a connection, he knew they did. She had to feel it too. The protest died in his throat however, when she covered his lips with hers.

If she'd meant the kiss to be gentle, that decision changed the second they made contact. With a soft moan, her lightly calloused palms slid up Kaidan's jaw, wrapped around the back of his neck and tugged him down to her level. He licked the seam of her lips, requesting access, and let out a low moan of his own when she granted it. She tasted like coffee and sugar, and Kaidan thought nothing would ever taste as good as this, feel as good as the woman in his arms. He'd never wanted someone so much in his life: not even as a scared kid at Brain Camp, hungry for affection; or on his first tour of duty when he'd met his first Asari.

How could this be the only moment he would get with this incredible woman? How could fate be so cruel? For the first time in years Kaidan wished he were a civilian, free to make his own choices. But in that case, he never would have met her, would he?

They parted slowly, reluctantly; his hands still buried in her hair when she looked up into his eyes one last time. He saw a lifetime in her lovely green gaze and had to watch it die as she quickly kissed him once more and turned to go.

Kaidan stood frozen in his spot outside the coffee shop for a long time after that. He watched her walk away, stared in her direction as her lovely form got smaller and smaller, before finally turning the corner and disappearing from view. She hadn't looked back once.

The next day Kaidan did his job as he always did, to the best of his ability. And if he was a bit more quiet than usual, a touch quicker to anger, then everyone just chalked that up to being extra tired from a night of shore leave. He wasn't the only one suffering from the events of the previous night either, although his pain wasn't physical and hadn't come from too much drink.

At oh eight hundred the crew was instructed to line up in the mess to meet the new Commander. Kaidan stood perfectly at attention, staring straight ahead as she was introduced to each crew member in turn, but not really bothering to listen. She greeted each of the enlisted crew first, making her way up towards the officers. It wasn't until she reached Pressley, situated directly beside him, that the Lieutenant glanced in his new XO's direction. For the second time in as many days, Kaidan felt like he'd been punched in the gut. It took all his willpower not to let his jaw drop as the Commander stepped into view.

"This is Staff Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko," Captain Anderson formally introduced. "Alenko, this is Commander Shepard."

Kaidan saluted automatically, his whole body rigid with more than just deference. How the hell had this happened? Had she known?

The woman in front of Kaidan smiled, her familiar green eyes sparkling with the same exuberance they had the night before. Her lovely pink lips stretched into a genuine smile as she reached out a hand for him to shake. "It's nice to meet you, Lieutenant," she said. "I'm looking forward to us working together."


End file.
